By OGA Sr. Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly Click Here for the Rule of the Month Archive 2019 Rules: The Teeing Area and Putting Green Correctly starting the play of a hole from the teeing area and properly completing the hole on the putting green are so important that these two areas of the course have special Rules governing play. A breach of a Rule in these two areas could easily result in a player being disqualified. Test your knowledge of the new Rules pertaining to the teeing area and putting green with the following quiz. Questions: True / False When starting the play of...

Limits on size and scale of putting-green maps introduced but handwritten player and caddie notes still permitted LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. AND ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND (October 15, 2018) - The USGA and The R&A have published the finalized interpretation on the use of green-reading materials in golf, which take effect on Jan. 1, 2019. The new interpretation of Rule 4.3 (Use of Equipment) has been introduced following a six-week feedback period. It reaffirms the governing bodies’ view that the ability of golfers to read greens using their own judgment is an essential skill that should be maintained...

By OGA Senior Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly Click Here for the Rule of the Month Archive Parts of the Course in 2019 While scientists have been debating for years the question of is it possible for a person to be in two places at once, the question can also reasonably be asked about a ball on a golf course. And since it’s important for players to know exactly on which part of the course their golf balls lie, the purpose of this month’s article is to add clarity to some major changes in the Rules for next year that redefine the parts of the golf course. Understanding the...

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. AND ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND (Sept.12, 2018) – Golf’s new Rules have been published by the USGA and The R&A ahead of their effective date on Jan. 1, 2019. For the first time, a new Player’s Edition of the Rules of Golf is being introduced to provide a shorter, more user-friendly version of the Rules for golfers at all levels of the game. This version, which will serve as the primary publication for all golfers, features: A more intuitive organization with 10 simplified topical groupings A “Purpose of the Rule” description at the top of each Rule, to better define why the...

By OGA Senior Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly Click Here for the Rule of the Month Archive Change is Good Beginning this month, the focus of the Rule of the Month articles will change as we begin to explore the changes to the Rules of Golf that become effective on January 1st, 2019. For your convenience, the 2019 version of the Rules can be viewed, downloaded and printed at USGA.org . As long as there have been Rules, there have always been Rules that many golfers have considered senseless and not necessary. Yet, the complexity of the game, played outdoors over a wide variety...

By OGA Senior Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly Click Here for the Rule of the Month Archive Laying Down the Law This month we take a short break from our normal question and answer format to look back in history. The oldest surviving written Rules of Golf, printed in 1744 by the Leith Golf Club in Edinburgh, were built upon three principles -- the golfer must play the course as it is found, play their ball as it lies and not touch the ball, other than by a stroke, until it is holed out. These original Rules were later adopted, almost verbatim, by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club...

By OGA Senior Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly Click Here for the Rule of the Month Archive Movers and Shakers While in today’s world movers and shakers are often admired, such may not always be the case on the golf course as being a mover and shaker during a round often time leaves the player with a penalty. It can all be a bit confusing as, another golfer, in what may appear to be a similar situation, is allowed to move something without the fear of penalty. Because consulting the Rules of Golf booklet prior to moving an object is time consuming and not very practical, it is...

By OGA Senior Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly Click Here for the Rule of the Month Archive Differences Between Stroke Play and Match Play As the golf season moves into summer and clubs begin to provide a variety of competition opportunities, it is important to understand the differences between stroke play and match play. While many competitions will have a stroke play qualifier followed by match play, Rule 33-1 prohibits playing both forms of golf simultaneously. The Rule states, in part, that “certain Rules governing stroke play are so substantially different from those...

By OGA Senior Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly Click Here for the Rule of the Month Archive Margins and Boundaries Margins and boundaries of the course are generally marked with colored stakes, lines painted on the ground, or a combination of the two. Additionally, even a different cut of grass, such as the putting green, may also indicate a margin. Some margins and boundaries extend both below and above the ground. While others extend only down. Truly confusing, to say the least. But it is important for every player to know on what area of the course their ball lies. For...

By OGA Senior Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly Click Here for the Rule of the Month Archive The Committee The vast majority of the topics we present in the Rule of the Month articles deal with what a player may or may not do on the golf course. However the Committee in charge of a competition is also bound by the Rules of Golf. While some rulings may seem unreasonable, the Committee is often times limited by the Rules and the officials are there to interpret the Rules, not create new ones. Rules that pertain to the Committee are largely unfamiliar to the average golfer. The...